Forgive me if this topic has been made before but I thought it would be interesting to see which teams you all thought would hold the top five picks in next year's draft; who have you got picking in the first five slots? I'm thinking something along these lines:

Cleveland Browns

Tough division, one of the most brutal strength-of-schedules, and a rookie quarterback who didn't appear NFL-ready in college.

Minnesota Vikings

Many of Minnesota's best offensive players have been unable to stay healthy and they will have a hard time winning any of the games within their division.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Mularkey and Justin Blackmon may be able to improve Blaine Gabbert's play but there's still a lot of work to be done with the Jaguars.

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck will certainly help but the Colts have are in too much flux to contend immediately; Peyton Manning went 3-13 as a rookie.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona had a pretty strong draft but unless Kevin Kolb improves substantially they will have have one of the league's weakest starting QBs.

Forgive me if this topic has been made before but I thought it would be interesting to see which teams you all thought would hold the top five picks in next year's draft; who have you got picking in the first five slots? I'm thinking something along these lines:

Cleveland Browns

Tough division, one of the most brutal strength-of-schedules, and a rookie quarterback who didn't appear NFL-ready in college.

Minnesota Vikings

Many of Minnesota's best offensive players have been unable to stay healthy and they will have a hard time winning any of the games within their division.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Mularkey and Justin Blackmon may be able to improve Blaine Gabbert's play but there's still a lot of work to be done with the Jaguars.

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck will certainly help but the Colts have are in too much flux to contend immediately; Peyton Manning went 3-13 as a rookie.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona had a pretty strong draft but unless Kevin Kolb improves substantially they will have have one of the league's weakest starting QBs.

I agree with the first 4 but I doubt Ariz rates there. They won 7 of their last 9 games and seemed to be coming together with a great defense at least.

I think the Colts offense carries them to 7 or 8 wins alone. Their front 7 isn't too bad but their secondary sucks so I see a lot of shootouts.

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I was shocked the Colts kept Reggie Wayne around but I don't think the offense will be as good as you say. Weak offensive line, rookie QB and two rookie TEs, with a below average running game. Maybe I'm underrating Andrew Luck but I just don't see it.

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Without looking at schedules I'd say the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams are the four worst teams in the league. The cupboards are pretty bare there IMO.

And usually teams that draft #1 weren't awful the year before. Of the past ten teams that were slotted at #1, only one had a top 5 pick the year before (Rams) and only three others were top 10 (Bengals [10th], Dolphins [9th], Raiders [7th]). The past ten teams that picked #1 were, on average, drafting at the 12th spot the year prior.

Underdog team to pick #1, the Arizona Cardinals.
-I go back and forth with the Cardinals. One day I think they'll be fine and finish similarly to last year and the next I think they're going to be awful. I can't make up my mind. Their QB situation is average at best. They've got no semblance of a running game (Wells is always banged up, Williams is coming off an ACL injury). Their offensive line is horrendous. They won a lot of close games last year and that typically doesn't carry over year to year. The defense is pretty thin and who is going to play across from Peterson? Toler?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Scotty D

I was shocked the Colts kept Reggie Wayne around but I don't think the offense will be as good as you say. Weak offensive line, rookie QB and two rookie TEs, with a below average running game. Maybe I'm underrating Andrew Luck but I just don't see it.

One thing I don't get when people criticize the Colts is why they say their offensive line is weak. I mean they were blocking for Curtis Painter who was just horrendous. Andrew Luck most assuredly has better command of the pocket than Painter. Second, I don't think a line of Castonzo (LT) - McGlynn (LG) - Satele (C) - Ijalana (RG) - Justice (RT) is that bad, there are worse lines in the NFL.

Forgive me if this topic has been made before but I thought it would be interesting to see which teams you all thought would hold the top five picks in next year's draft; who have you got picking in the first five slots? I'm thinking something along these lines:

Cleveland Browns

Tough division, one of the most brutal strength-of-schedules, and a rookie quarterback who didn't appear NFL-ready in college.

Minnesota Vikings

Many of Minnesota's best offensive players have been unable to stay healthy and they will have a hard time winning any of the games within their division.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Mularkey and Justin Blackmon may be able to improve Blaine Gabbert's play but there's still a lot of work to be done with the Jaguars.

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck will certainly help but the Colts have are in too much flux to contend immediately; Peyton Manning went 3-13 as a rookie.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona had a pretty strong draft but unless Kevin Kolb improves substantially they will have have one of the league's weakest starting QBs.

Jags Indi and Arizona are all in tough positions, but they don't exactly play in tough divisions. In fact, the Cards have the possibility of winning a weak NFC West.

Cleveland might be a bit improved but probably finishes last in the division and without many wins.

Minnesota plays in arguably the toughest division of the group and likely won't make any progress with Peterson going down. While Kalil will be a valuable piece for the future, I don't think their offense will be much improved because of him.

End of the day I think we see Minnesota and Cleveland in the top 2 but if I had to choose I'd say Minnesota.

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That's a good list except possibly for Arizona. Their division is still pretty weak (improving) so who knows. Miami probably won't be top 5, but probably top 10. I think they are building toward 2014. The Jets could surprise and pick higher than people expect as well. The AFC East is very tough and Buffalo may be the 2nd best team in that division. Oakland could pick top 5 as well. The Raiders are always hard to predict.

Very puzzling to see Oakland get so many mentions. Al Davis' death is good for at least and extra 2 wins alone.

Palmer is an up and down QB, no doubt. But he has some really nice ups, and a great rapport with a very good deep threat in Denarius Moore. Not to mention some decent complimentary receivers, including some very strong receiving backs.

McFadden's durability is the team's biggest question mark, with the CB position a close second. But a top 5 pick? That's really absurd.

Same for the Cardinals. Their offense will score points, and their division as a whole isn't scaring anyone. John Skelton could easily supplant Kevin Kolb and see this team Gump their way into a .500 season.

What if the Browns get the Pick? Do they get rid of Weeden? I would say so because Barkley/Bray/Thomas are all better than Weeden and I think the Fans would be really mad if they passed on a Matt Barkley who might be the Heisman Winner and a National Champion just to build around a 30 Year Old Second Year QB.

Very puzzling to see Oakland get so many mentions. Al Davis' death is good for at least and extra 2 wins alone.

Palmer is an up and down QB, no doubt. But he has some really nice ups, and a great rapport with a very good deep threat in Denarius Moore. Not to mention some decent complimentary receivers, including some very strong receiving backs.

McFadden's durability is the team's biggest question mark, with the CB position a close second. But a top 5 pick? That's really absurd.

Same for the Cardinals. Their offense will score points, and their division as a whole isn't scaring anyone. John Skelton could easily supplant Kevin Kolb and see this team Gump their way into a .500 season.

See, I don't agree that Davis' death helps you this year. Reggie inherited a team that was over the cap and had traded its first four draft picks. The new regime really needs next offseason before it pays dividends.

I see the Raiders winning 4 or 5 this year but the future is definitely bright. As a Broncos fan it pains me to say that.